Radius gauge for automobiles



July 16, 1940. H. wocl-INER y RADIUS GAUGE FDR AUTOMOBILES Filed July 9. 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FI E 1 L i July 16, 1940. H. wocHNER RADIUS GAUGE FOR AUTOMOBILES Filed July 9, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 PIE-l- FIEE' FIE-E Y\I n2- 1N VEN TOR. Q/fr/MW mm/MM, MATTORNEY.

Patented July 16, 1940 i 2,208,063

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RADIUS GAUGE FOR AUTOMOBILES Henry Wochner, Rock Island, Ill., assigner to Bear Manufacturing Co., a corporation Application July 9, 1934, Serial No; 734,357

2 Claims. (Cl. 33-203) My invention has reference to a radiusV gauge nection with the acompanying drawings, showfor automobiles, and has for its purpose to proing the invention in its preferred embodiment. vide a means for determining the degree of turn In said drawingsof the front wheels of a vehicle when describing Fig. 1 is a plan view of the invention in a nor- 5 a curve. By the use of such means it is possible mally set position. to make corrections in the mountings of the Fig. 2 is a similar view with the tread plate wheels and control devices thereof, so that they removed. can be made to conform tothe specifications of Fig. 3 is a vertical medial section of the inthe manufacturers of the vehicles, not only for tion.

thev single operations of the wheels, but for a Fig, 4 is a lower plan view of the tread unit. w"

pair of steering wheels of a vehicle, so that they Fig. 5 shows the floating platform in plan will have the proportionate degree of toe-out view, with the plates lll and in shiftedv posiradius when moving on the inside of a turn or v tions.

l on the outside thereof. The proportion varies Fig. 6 is a section through the plate 2U, taken twenty degreestobe the toe-out curve for'the out- The tread unit, or part by which a wheel is side wheel, that of the inside wheel should be more directly supported, consists of a disk; approximately twenty-three degrees, and" vice mounted on a plate 'l of corresponding shape, versa. the periphery of said plate being provided with with different makes of cars, but assuming at right angles to that of Fig. 3. ""1" 20 Instruments of the kind mentioned have been an annular channel 8. YThese two plates may be Lili provided wherein the wheels have been supintegrally formed, and comprise a turntable of ported upon a rotatable member in a straight limited size, the movement of which is controlled ahead position, andv then given a turning moveby the plate I, which is rotatable in an opening ment, with indicating elements on the instru- 9 in a thin fiat plate I0,`which latter plate also ment whereby the degree of turn ortoe-out can comprises a part of the floating platform. Fixed 2; be read. In moving the wheels on these devices to the plate Il] at the sides of said opening are toward. one side or the other there is a tendency lugs Il and l2, which enter the space between of the wheel to exert a frictional force on the the disk 6 and plate l, and prevent accidental supporting member other than that of the simple release of the tread unit. In the edge of the turning movement, tending to influence the acplate Tis a recess i3, which can be brought into 30' tion ofthe'gauge soas to cause an improper and register with the lug It, so that the plate can false reading thereof. One of the purposes of be raised at that edge and then slipped from the present invention is to support the gauge in beneath the lug i2 at the opposite side. It can such a manner that it will accommodate itself be returned to position by a reversal of this readily to any eccentric movement of the wheel, movement. 35 and olf-set any undue stress placed on the gauge, Fixed to the edge of the plate 6 is a pointer l5, leaving it free at all times to give a true reading for use with markings on a gauge-plate IB, atof the toe-out radius. This is accomplished by tached to the upper face of the plate I0, said having the tread unit mounted on a mechanical markings starting at zero in the center and being 40 floating assemblage or platform, so that the graduated away therefrom at each side, the num- 4.0 same will yield instantly to any eccentric action bers shown thereby being of sufficient value to inof the wheel While it is being turned, regardless clude the usual specifications for the radius deof the direction of such movement. This leaves grecs fOI the turning Wheels. The plate I6 is the gauge unit, with which the indicating deprovided at its ends with slots I1, through which vices are connected, free to respond to the turnset-screws I pass into the plate IU, permitting 45 ing action of the wheel, and give a true record a longitudinal movement of said plate for the of the toe-out radius under all conditions. length of the slots. In case a wheel is positioned Another feature of the invention consists of a on the gauge in a normal or straight ahead posinovel arrangement of one of the indicating detion and the pointer l5 does not register with vices, whereby an adjustment thereof can be the zero mark, the position of the plate I6 can 50 made in case the same is not set at the zero be adjusted until the pointer and Zero mark copoint when a wheel is rst positioned thereon.y incide.

The above-named, and other features and ad- The plate l0 is slidably mounted on a similar Vantages of the invention will more fully appear plate 20, but is limited to a movement thereon in from the following specication, taken in conone back and forth direction by means of 55 guides 2| on the side edges of said plate 20, formed by bending projecting portions of said plate upwardly and inwardly. The plate 2U is in turn held slidably on a base-plate 22, by means of guide channels 23 on the edges of the plate 20 alternating with those on which the guides 2l are fixed, and formed from projecting portions of the plate 20 which are bent downwardly and inwardly. The movement of the plate 20 is in a direction at right angles to that of the plate il), as will appear from Fig. 5, wherein the plate 20 is shown moved to one side, and the plate Hl upwardly. The plate 20 is provided with a central opening 24 corresponding in size and shape with that of the opening 9, and the plate 22 is dished to provide a depressed floor section 25.

The tread unit is also provided with a yieldable anti-friction apparatus, consisting of a ring 26, containing a series of ball pockets 21, in which are mounted balls 28, so as to be capable of rolling on the floor 25. Fixed centrally of the tread plates is a bolt 29, provided at its lower end with a head 3B, above which is a small ring 3l, turning freely on said bolt, and connected with the ring 2E by a set of balance springs 32. 'l rests upon the balls 28, and can move freely thereon in any direction, carrying with it the plate lll.

In the operation of the device, an automobile wheel is positioned on the plate 6 on a line parallel with the top and bottom edges'of the plate, with the gauge I6 in a readable position below the same. The plate 6 is preferably corrugated or roughened in some manner to prevent any slipping action of the wheel thereon. After being properly positioned with the wheel in a straightahead position, the steering wheel is operated to give the desired turning movement to the wheel,

such movement carrying with it the disk 6 and moving the pointer l5 along the scale on the plate It, from which readings can be taken. Assuming the wheel to be positioned on the disk 6 with a vertical line through the center of the king-pin in line with the axial line of said disk, and the turning of the wheel tobe accomplished without disturbing such alignment, there would be a simple rotary movement of the disk, but it has been found in practice that there is usually a tendency to an eccentric movement of the wheel, tending to urge the disk in one direction or the other, and to compensate for this said disk The plate is permitted to move freely in any such direction by the action of the slide-plates or floating plates l0 and 2l), assisted by the action of the anti-friction apparatus beneath the tread unit. Various combinations of the movements shown in Fig. 5 may be had, so that the vertical axis of the disk 6 can have a universal movement, in addition to the rotary movement, and can follow any angle or arc, or can be made 'to describe'a circle.

The springs 32 permit the ball ring 26 to move freely in any direction, in response to the movement of the tread plates, space for the operation of said ring being accorded by the opening 24 in the plate 20 the movement of said ring being limited in all directions by the edge of said opening. As the springs at one side of the mechanism expand those at the other side contract, with a tendency to increase tension and store power at both sides, so that all of said springs assist in restoring the ring mechanism and slide-plates to a normal position after the same have been actuated.

Changes can be made in the form and arrangement of various parts of the invention, within the scope of the invention, as set forth and claimed herein.

What I claim and desire to secure is:

1. In a device of the class described, a platform consisting of a fixed plate and pair of slidable plates, one of said plates having guides on two of its edges formed by bending a portion of such plate upwardly and inwardly, and guides on the other two edges formed by bending a portion of the plate downwardly and inwardly, the other of said slidable plates having a central opening for the rotative action of a tread plate.

2. A radius turning gauge for vehicle wheels comprising, in combination, a base plate having a dished central portion, a pair of members supported on said base plate and slidably mounted for movements in directions angular to one another, a wheel supporting element rotatably mounted in the upper of said pair of members, means for measuring the angle through which said element rotates with respect to said upper member, and bearings carried within said dished portion of said base plate freely supporting said element for slidable and rotatable movement with respect to the base plate.

HENRY WOCHNER. 

